10 July 2014

The Power of Silence. The Removal of the Constant Seeking of Stimuli.

What's the point of silence? It has
greater purpose than most people realize. Our minds are so intelligent, our brains so busy that they are constantly hungry for
stimulation. Inputs from all forms of media, music, conversations,
creative activities, socializing and more. But if we switch off the
stimuli and turn off our thoughts, what happens? We'd be bored
right? Wrong, not if we knew what it can do for us.

In this context we are not referring to
silence through meditation. But instead the silencing of all stimulus
at various opportunities in our daily lives. The filtering out of as
much interference as possible, not just sound, but sensations, things
to watch or read, people to talk to, things to busy ourselves with,
things to study, things to buy. It's the focusing of the mind through
stopping the constant seeking of stimulation.

You must always be supplying your mind
with endless satisfactions. Our brains need constant inputs and
stimulation because our minds are constantly active. If we do not
feed this hyperactivity, a sort of depression arises, along with a
search for tantalizing fulfillment. Always short lived, the next
stimulus must be found.

A cat will sit and gaze out of a window
for hours, content with the simplicity. However, a cat is arguably
less intelligent (but has some abilities superior to ours, e.g.
hearing!). A human needs to find the next mental inputs immediately
after the last one had ended, or half way through if it has become
unsatisfactory. For example, you finish a conversation and turn on
the television, after this you might surf the internet. During chores
you switch on the radio because the chores alone aren't enough
mental stimulation for you, they're boring, and you need more. You do
some paperwork, write in your diary, and read a magazine, never
pausing for long to allow an empty mind to manifest. Not many people
ever permit an empty mind, apart from when falling asleep.

But do our minds really need this
constant stimulation? The majority of people believe so and therefore
pander to it constantly. They don't realize they can empty their
minds and that they wont go mad with boredom. Silence is the very
core requirement of meditation. So let's use silence more often.

The Sensory Interference

Sensory
interference are all of the noises, sights, sounds, tastes and
physical sensations that bombard our senses and in turn our minds, on
a daily basis. It's the television, people talking, the radio,
traffic, pollution smell, dust – anything we sense. Because we
constantly seek stimulus to occupy our minds we come into contact
with a lot of interference.

Imagine you're
looking at a beautiful painting. Now imagine there's a band playing
behind you and you are eating a sandwich. Would you be able to focus
on the painting as much as you'd like?

We take in too
much information and stimulation, and don't give the mind proper time
to process it. We take in too much to be able to really listen, plus
the interference is distracting. We take in so much that we are blind
and deaf to subtle energies and signals that are all around us.

By ridding
ourselves of sensory interference and excess stimulus we can
concentrate on clearing the mind of worries, agendas, tasks to do,
anxieties, general thoughts and so on – interference generated
within the mind.

Why Silence the Mind

Firstly, giving
your mind a break allows it to process everything already seen, heard
and done, ready for the next thing you have to do. Your emotions can
reset, in fact your whole equilibrium can reset, in other words, you
allow yourself a period of time whether long or short, to re-balance.
You'll feel calmer and happier. Periods of silence, or reduced mental
stimulation too can fight depression. This is stopping short of meditation and can be easily
interwoven into your day.

Secondly, by
silencing the mind, you can concentrate on energies around you. The
energies of other people, of things or plants and animals. With
enough practice you can tune into the life-force of the planet by
understanding that everyone and everything is all one. You can
literally feel these energies, for example, by practicing psychometry. You can meditate in a country setting, or even just sit
in silence enjoying a view and be able to feel the life-force (or
prana) of the entities around you (trees, grass, animals etc).

Thirdly, you can
better access your subconscious mind and spirit energies. Your
subconscious mind contains memories that are hard to access.
Plus your unconscious mind is harder to accesses still – it
communicates with the subconscious mind as do spirit guides and the
higher self. By enjoying periods of silence you are more able to
listen to your subconscious mind. As in these articles 'dreams' and
'intuition', your subconscious mind uses symbols to communicate with
your conscious mind (that's your every day working mind). Silence
helps you to better perceive this communication by filtering out
other interfering factors.

How to Enjoy Silence

So, by practicing meditation and yoga
you can enjoy the benefits of silence, and create a clear and focused
mind. However, the point here is that silence can be enjoyed outside
of meditation sessions and the benefits can be enjoyed more
frequently and overall.

Reduce your constant searching for
things to occupy your busy mind. Slow your mind and stop seeking.
Give your mind a break from the constant barrages of life by slowing
the pace a little at various opportunities throughout your day.

Take more time out. But, rather than
turning on the television and absorbing the programming (which at
times is great for relaxation and learning), instead take 10 to 20
minutes and sit out in the yard or garden. Or go for a little walk.
Even sit and look out of the window! Simply take a break from as much
stimulation to your senses as possible – don't do any tasks, read
anything, listen to anything, just be.

While taking your
short period of silence, be conscious of silencing the mind. The
stimulus doesn't just come from outside your self, it also arises
within. So similar to meditation, if you feel thoughts and worries
creeping in, just gently push them out. The difference here to
meditation is that you have your eyes open and you are simply
snatching some silent time at a point in the day when meditation is
not practicable, for example, while the kids are playing upstairs, in
a busy office at lunch break, or while the evening meal is nearly done cooking.

Note that in a busy
office for example, noise will persist – but the point is to
discontinue as much stimulation as possible.

If you cannot enjoy silence with an
empty mind, use your time for contemplation. Ensure this does not
involve list-making, worrying or planning. Simply choose a subject,
perhaps an interest, a hobby or a philosophical idea, and gently
contemplate it. The same calming and mental healing
effects of silence should arise without any trouble.

When
we sleep, our brains process and store the information gathered
during the day. We could give our brains a boost by allowing for a
little more processing and storage time through silent contemplation
between sleep periods.

So in summary, instead of leaving the
silence and clearing of the mind to meditation sessions, especially
if you run out of time and miss your meditation, take some periods of
silence – or at least reduce the stimuli. For example, instead of
cooking with the radio on, focus on the cooking. Your brain will have
a chance to calm and reset after a busy day and you will enjoy your
cooking far more. You don't always need the extra interference from
the radio putting more information and sounds into your already
crowded mind. The Power of Silence, Healing the Mind | Nicky Sutton - VideoSubscribe on YouTube for regular spiritual inspiration.